Beach for the skies!
SATURDAY and Sunday brought two days of glorious weather as Southport Air Show welcomed some firsts – and said a final farewell.
Two Swedish fast jets, the Saab Tunnan and Saab Viggen, wowed the crowds with their stunning displays on their first visit to our town.
The Tunnan, nicknamed “the flying barrel”, was designed and manufactured by Saab in the 1940s, and was the first Western European fighter to be produced with a swept wing after WWII, the first being the German Messerschmitt Me 262.
The Viggen was the most advanced fighter jet in Europe until the arrival of the Panavia Tornado in 1981.
But it was the last appearance above Southport Beach for the Tucano, which for many years has provided basic fast jet training to the RAF and Royal Navy aircrew on their training pathway to frontline fast jet aircraft.
The aircraft received a special secret message from Southport Lifeboat volunteer Keith
Porter, who uses his tractor each year to create a giant 25-metre long message in the sand – not visible to the crowds, but much enjoyed by those in the skies above.
He first created his special sand art three years ago, writing “Southport Air Show 2016 – 25 years” – the year after he wrote “Mind the Pier!” – with a huge arrow pointing to the landmark.
Keith also creates a 230m line, alerting pilots to the area they need to fly within.
He has been working for Southport Air Show for the past 13 years, where he is responsible for preparing the runways and flight lines for the aircraft to land.
This year his message, in honour of both thew Typhoon and the Tucano, read: “It’s #Phoontime #Bringthenoise and Farewell Tucano” next to a heart with an arrow through it.
Crowds enjoyed a wide array of aircraft, with aerobatic displays from teams such as The Blades and the Fireflies; Aerosuperbatics Wingwalkers flying 1940s vintage Boeing Stearman biplanes; classic WWII aircraft the Spitfire, Hurricane, Dakota, and the P-47 Thunderbolt; helicopters with the